A kind observation that exclusively calling this place "Mastodon" has a bit similar energy as saying "I just sent a GMail."

"Fediverse" (or "fedi") is a more inclusive, general term.

Mastodon is just one of many software projects that talk to each other to create this multi-instance social network:
https://axbom.com/fediverse/

(kudos to @axbom for this fantastic infographic!)

There are blogs, Reddit-like communities, video instances and many more, all part of fedi.

#TwitterMigration #NewHere

The many branches of the Fediverse

As more and more people are asking me about Mastodon I felt a need for a picture to point at, showcasing how the software known as Mastodon fits into the much larger concept of the Fediverse. I made this infographic to help myself and others explain the many different use-cases

Axbom • My Next Heartbeat
@rysiek @axbom interesting but exactly the kind of thing that freaks out the normies

@giraffeslava @axbom "why so many servers" used to be the go-to "freaks out the normies" thing, I am glad we moved up the ladder here a bit, then!

Also, "normies" seem to be joining in droves and doing just fine. So let's give them a bit of credit here.

We could also maybe stop calling them "normies", you know. 

@rysiek @axbom ok. I was being playful but I’m trying to offend anyone. I’m just trying to get more people on mastodon. :)
@axbom @rysiek @giraffeslava Exactly lol. "Stop talking about features! You're scaring the hoes! They're not used to learning about the systems they use!"